New Delhi: Close to 150 technical institutes across the country have applied to AICTE seeking permission to shut shop because of poor response to their management and engineering programmes, the government has said.

According to All India Council of Technical Education, they have received applications from as many as 143 institutes from 14 states to close down their programmes, a phenomenon which could largely be attributed to mushrooming of technical institutes across the country.

The council, for example, as received applications from 56 institutes from Andhra Pradesh for closure, while two institutes from Tamil Nadu and five from Karnataka have applied for closing down their professional courses.

These three states, according to statistics, are considered a sought-after destination for students seeking admission to technical programmes.

"The request for closure of programmes is a pointer towards a factor where supply of seats in technical programme far outnumbers the demands and also to the fact that institutes need to deliver quality or perish," HRD Ministry officials said.

Recent data suggest there are over 3,500 management schools and over 4,000 engineering colleges in the country.

According to AICTE, they have also received applications from five institutes in Madhya Pradesh, four from Chhattisgarh, two from West Bengal and one from Bihar for closure of their programmes.

The Council has received 18 applications from Rajasthan, 17 from Uttar Pradesh and 13 from Gujarat, reflecting the fact that these big states have also had their share of troubles in running these courses.